A Blue Jay in the End of the World
by XxAwkwardAlienxX
Summary: Jay was born with broken wings and has only been able to fly once in her life. To save another. Now, sentenced to walk the barren earth with no one but her canine companion by her side, how will a fourteen year old with a flimsy sense of sanity survive in this new world? The end of the world never seemed kind, but is humanity prepared for what lies ahead? (Season 3 to Present)
1. Chapter 1: Blue Jay on the Highway

**XxAwkwardAlienxX**

 ** _I have been a fan of the Walking Dead since the first season and I just couldn't resist. This show is amazing for many reasons, one being, ZOMBIES (duh), but the other being the characters and their personal development. So many things in this show make me rage, make me cry, make me feel everything under the sun and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to give my own spin on it. Creative ideas came and I decided that I would finally post something I've been working on for a while now, my own, personal take on the zombie apocalypse shown in the Walking Dead through the eyes of my original character and insane teenager, Jay. This story will mainly focus on the actual plot and will only have slight deter from the storyline due to the added character. I am not sure if romance will be involved so, sorry, but it will mainly be centered on friend and family relations with the original Walking Dead characters and Jay. I hope you enjoy this take on the end of the world! Thanks for reading 3 3 3_**

 **I do not own any of the Walking Dead plot and/or characters and have rights solely to the bits of changes I have added and my own, original character, Jay. If you have any questions or critiques please leave them in the reviews. Thanks for reading!**

 **A Blue Jay on the Highway**

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A blue jay fluttered over the abandoned highway, its small wings carrying it far from the horror down below. But one blue jay could not escape, for her wings were broken long ago and she was sentenced to walk the barren world below. With only a dark furred mutt as her companion, she walked across the cluttered highway in the sweltering, Georgian heat. Soft growls echoed from the forests on either side of the pair, yet neither paid it any mind, continuing on their trek through the graveyard. Every so often, the blue jay would pause, yanking open car doors and rooting through the leftover belongings within.

She leaned into the backseat of a dusty Toyota, digging through several bags and dumping out the contents of each. She shifted through several bits and pieces of clothing, hastily folding a few shirts and pants that seemed about her size into her backpack. Her lips quirked up in a half smile when she found a lighter in the glove compartment and she shifted it into her back pocket before retreating from the rusty car altogether. She heard a soft growl emitting from her companion and turned, pale brown eyes searching the surrounding area with an intensity not seen quite frequently in fifteen year olds. She spotted three biters. Stumbling and growling, slowly heaving their rotting bodies towards her still living form. She blanched at the one in the middle, eyeing its jaw that seemed to be unhinged, the skin of its chin hanging off the bone rather disgustingly.

Its left eye was gone, leaving a bloody hole in its wake and its left pant leg had been torn off along with the skin coating its muscles. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of death hanging heavily in the air and she clicked lowly to her stiff companion. The dog glanced once towards her with deep, emerald eyes before dashing forward and barking quietly at the biter on the far left. He stayed close to it, gently drawing it away from the other two until both him and the biter disappeared behind several cars and a towering truck. Handling two biters on her own was nothing too difficult for the blue jay, so she quickly lunged forward.

She kicked at the one with the unhinged jaw and skinned leg, knocking its knees back at an awkward angle and causing it to tumble to the ground. With one less threatening to her, she turned on the still standing one, unclipped her knife from her side, and rounded on it. She slipped past its reaching hands, raising her arm in a jerky movement before bringing it down into the back of the biter's skull. She retrieved her blade with a wet _squelch_ and let the biter collapse in on itself. The biter that could no longer stand went quickly, her knife plunging into the top of its head with a familiar slick, crunching noise. A sudden noise drew her attention, causing her hairs to stand on end and her shoulders to stiffen. A bark, a warning bark.

Without another thought, she yanked her blade back from the corpse and darted through the abandoned cars towards the noise. She froze at the discovery of her mutt, cornered by not only the one biter he had led away but two other tag alongs that apparently freed themselves from a car a few feet away if the scrap of skin on the car door was anything to go by. With a click slightly louder than the last, the dog slipped between the threatening biters and bounded past the blue jay. Relaxing her shoulders, she sighed to calm her racing heart and burning nerves. Then, she moved.

With a movement far too violent to be considered graceful, the blue jay had stabbed the nearest biter in the eye, easily retrieving her blade. She slashed at the biter nearing her, cutting through its throat and causing its head to hang back at an angle. Taking advantage of its disability, she barreled her shoulder into its ribcage, shoving it back with ease. She heard it hit something, a gurgled growl yearning for her attention, yet she paid it no mind. Turning just in time to grab at the shoulders of the last biter. It snapped at her, blood spurting over her tanned skin from its gaping mouth. Furrowing her brows at the disturbing feeling of blood on her face, she stumbled back at the weight of the monster. She lost her footing in a moment of lost concentration, falling to the cement with the creature still snapping its jaw at her.

Her breath fled her when the biter fell atop her and she bit her lip hard, twisting her knife upwards and using the biter's own momentum to stab through its jaw and up into its brain. It collapsed on top of her, bleeding into her hair as she dropped her arms and let it cover her entirely. A moment of silence went by, her breathing evening out as her adrenaline left her. She felt a wet nose snuffling her cheek and finally rose, roughly pushing the corpse from her before she could stand. A soft smile was sent to her companion, a sign that she was okay, and then she turned towards the last biter, the one she had shoved. A part of her, the sadistic bit that she tried hard to hide in her old life, stretched her face into a twisted smile.

A hysterical laugh burst from her throat, low and thick due to lack of use. The biter had stumbled back into a bent car door, the broken metal piercing its stomach and keeping it stuck in place. Its greying flesh had begun to droop from its bones and its frail hands reached out for its nearest meal. The blue jay was quiet when she ended it, completely silent as she broke through skin, muscle, and bone. She stepped back when it went limp around her blade, tugging out the weapon without a word. Turning to her only companion left in the end of the world, she left the tiniest hint of a smile show on her face and crouched down to softly scratch behind the mutts ears. "You got yourself into some trouble," she rose to her full height, "huh?" Turning back to where she had come from, she began to walk in quick strides towards the car she had previously been looting. "Let's find ourselves somewhere to sleep before dark."

She cranked open the door to the Toyota, shuffling all of the rough objects out of the vehicle. She tucked most of the leftover clothing onto the floor, creating a makeshift mattress, leaving only an old quilt to use as a blanket. She stuffed her backpack against the opposing door, being sure to lock it, and slumped into the ditch between the front seats and back seats. She patted her lap to make her companion join her and shut and lock all the doors afterwards. Leaning back against her pack, she pulled the quilt over both her and the dog and made sure both of the entirety of their frames were hidden. "Goodnight, Wolverine," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes and letting her exhaustion take over.

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 **The beginning of the end.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. I will be posting weekly (though I might miss a few installations due to my schedule) and I plan on getting from the timeline before Season 3 all the way to the recent Season 7 (as soon as it airs!). If any of you have any suggestions or critiques, they will be greatly appreciated. Again, thank you so much for reading! See you next week**

 _ **Probably ;p**_

 **Bye Bye**


	2. Chapter 2: Wandering the Silence

**XxAwkwardAlienxX**

 **HIII~**

 **Foremost I do not own any Walking Dead characters or plot aside from my own twists and my original characters.**

 **Moving on! I apologize for the wait, but I will posting every other week instead of every week because turns out my life is more hectic than I assumed it would be. I hope none of you mind but I would prefer quality over rushing the chapters. Thank you so much for reading my story, I'm really looking forward to continuing it. If you're wondering when you'll finally get to know who the "blue jay" is and when said "blue jay" will meet Rick and everyone, stay tuned for the next chapter! Okay, so on with the story!**

 **Wandering the Silence**

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A thick mist had fallen over the highway, causing the blue jay's sight to become blurred. She shifted from her spot in the back seat, unfurling herself from underneath the thick quilt and rising slowly, steadily, quietly. She shuffled towards the door, clicking it open and peering outside into the early morning. When she was sure nothing was stumbling close to her and no growls were resounding through the graveyard, her shoulders slumped.

In precise movements that had been mastered over the last few months, the blue jay carefully swept her pack back onto her back, fastened her weapons to her belt, and pranced forth from the vehicle. She didn't bother to close the door behind her, taking practiced steps through the dawn and past the array of abandoned cars. Wolverine's claws tapped lightly beside her, reminding her that she was not alone and consoling her harrowing anxiety. The silence carried on for nearly two hours before the pair found any sign of company and when they did, they wished they hadn't.

Bumbling was not the right word for the mass of terrifying creatures before them. It was too comedic, too casual. Stumbling was more accurate in their movements, yet still not definite enough to explain how truly horrifying the sight was. The blue jay tried to count, to comprehend how far her luck had fallen, but there was just too many. The corpses limped and shuffled towards her, fourteen, no fifteen, no twenty! She felt her heart stop, choking on the fear that such deadly luck had brought upon her. Then she was moving. No longer careful nor practiced, she ran.

She dashed towards the metal fencing separating the road from the woods and leapt over it. She felt her ankle smack harshly against the blockade, yet the pain did not reach her, she was too worried, too overwhelmed by the desire to survive. She heard the leaves crunch under her boots, the softer padder of her partner's paws against the dirt. Branches snapped under her floundering steps and she thanked any god left to listen that she didn't fall. Low hanging branches whipped at her face and neck, catching in her hair and yanking at the dark strands. Fallen twigs scraped against her legs and beat her skin but she never faltered, never slowed, never stopped.

Her breath burned, lungs stinging from the force of her panic. She panted, breath heaving forth from her in a desperate attempt to breathe, just breathe. But she couldn't "just breathe". Minutes passed, maybe hours, maybe days, she did not know. All she knew was that she still heard the growls behind her, the incessant call of a hungry predator. Her brain rattled against her skull, mind swimming with the possibilities stopping would mean. She didn't stop. The sun rose high into the sky, causing her skin to heat in the most uncomfortable of ways. Then it fell, painstakingly slow.

The air turned bitter and thick, her breaths now coming out in soft spurts of frosty air. She didn't stop. The moans did. Her bruised ankle caught on a tree root and she fell. It seemed like slow motion in her eyes, soft brown hues widening in panic as she fell to what she deemed her death. But as her exhausted form lay limp in the leaves and dirt, no pain erupted from her skin and no teeth dug into her stomach in search of the delicacy that was human flesh. She sighed.

Her shoulders slumped into the ground, hot skin meeting cool dirt. "I'm alive…" She rose her hand to her face, staring at the dirty appendage with half-lidded eyes. "I'm alive." A laugh erupted from her, hysterical and short. She repeated the two words to herself, voice growing lighter and lighter until she was sure she wasn't even speaking aloud anymore. Her eyes grew heavier and heavier… They bolted open and her body flew up.

Whisky orbs searched the surrounding area before lessening in intensity. A lone biter shuffled forth from the trees, snarling at her like a rabid dog. The blue jay raised to her full height, tensing her muscles and unhitching her machete from her hip. When the biter got close enough, she kicked out its legs and swung down in a sharp arc. She heard the crack and crunch of a skull being crushed under her blade and collapsed back into the leaves. "I'm alive… I think…"

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Soft whiskey eyes slid open, meeting familiar green. The blue jay let out a light twitter of noise, raising from her fallen position and gritting her teeth. She beat herself up for falling asleep out in the open, where death was surely imminent. She most likely would've continued with her mental berate if it were not for the three wanderers that broke through the treeline. Their moans made her hairs stand on end and she lunged forward towards the biter she had killed the night before. She yanked the machete from its squelching skull before turning on the approaching threat.

Eyes widened and teeth snapped. A blue jay fell and landed harshly. The predator lumbered after her. Snarling jaws and bloody lips. Too close. Too close. Too close! The blue jay blocked the incoming snap of yellow stained teeth with the flat of her blade, twisting it so she could dig the blade into its mouth. It kept snapping around the weapon until the blade eventually dug through its jaw and into its head. When it collapsed on top of her, she wanted to scream. Another followed, tripping over the corpse of its fellow biter and tumbling atop her. It snapped at her. She felt tears well in her eyes, yet they never fell. Moments passed, she dug her blade into the back of its head and avoided the bite targeted at her forearm. Now, only one stood.

The blue jay felt like screaming. She could handle one biter, she could handle three, hell she could handle six on a good day. But now, with only one drawing nearer, she couldn't even move. Two corpses, no matter how rotting or ripped apart were heavy and she was without a doubt stuck. She closed her eyes, waiting for the third biter to fall atop her like the last, but it didn't come. She heard the growl and then it fell. It wasn't really done, as it's gurgling call was still heard from a few feet away, but it wasn't moving quickly. Her eyes peeked open and found that the biters left leg was torn away from its body. Her companion tossed the limb away from his muzzle, quickly scampering over and helping to tug the first corpse from its friends form.

It was a grudging process, but in five minutes both bodies were gathered beside her instead of atop her and she finally sat up and breathed. She fiddled with her blade still caught in the gory skull of a biter and pulled it out without much difficulty. Something tugged at her boot, she glanced down. The last biter was clawing at the toe of her shoe, trying to propel itself further. The blue jay lifted her machete back and above her head, bringing it down at the clawing creatures head. _This is not my day._ She collapsed back into the leaves, staring up at the treetops and trying to ignore the stench of death. Wolverine nuzzled his snout into her side, cold nose brushing against her bare skin where her shirt had been ripped. "I know," she brushed her hand through the dog's fur, "we need to find some water…" Her stomach let out a hefty growl, "and some food," she chuckled.

She stood shakily, both legs still burning from the run the previous night, but fighting against giving out. Her machete hung limply from her right hand, grasp loose and lazy despite the surrounding horror. Her dark hair fluttered through the air, following her pale copper face. The dirty locks tumbled over the blue jay's skin, drifting across her cheekbones and tangling against her ears.

Little twigs peeked out from her scalp and leaves messily clung to the knotted bits. Her companion stood beside her, shoulders raised and muzzle stained crimson. Splatters of gore stuck in his fur causing the ashy gray color to turn burgundy. He cocked his head to the side, gently wiping his snout against the blue jay's leg and letting his mouth fall open in a quiet pant. The blue jay smiled tiredly at her exhausted partner, humming quietly in the silence that the whole word seemed to retain. Then they began to walk.

Dirt covered paws slowly sunk into the soft ground and heavy, metal toed boots made light imprints in the mud. Both survivors noticed the way their feet sunk deeper and deeper the further they went and Wolverine's nose twitched excitedly. An hour passed and a quarter of an inch of the girl's shoe had now sunk into the damp ground. Her next step caused a splash.

A crooked grin made its way onto the blue jay's face at the sight before her. Her throat croaked. A slight swell of water rippled against the mud, the depths growing, relinquishing land to water. The blue jay dropped to her knees, ignoring the damp cold against her legs and focusing on finding the empty bottles she had still stashed in her backpack. She tore at her flannel, ripping off a long strip and damping it. She tried to clean out most of the dirt before finally using it as a filter.

It only took her ten minutes to fill two bottles and a plastic tupperware and then she was wetting her face and swallowing as much of the liquid as she possibly could. A tree branch cracked and leaves rustled and without a second thought, the blue jay had stuffed the bottles into her bag and booked it. She didn't stop or pause or even look back until she broke through the treeline and stumbled dangerously up a steep incline of grass. She leapt over the metal fencing once more, this time avoiding injuring herself further, and tumbled onto her hands and knees in the middle of the road.

Her arms shook, her legs rattled, her whole body convulsed in her panic fueled adrenaline rush. She breathed deeply, in and out, in and out, until her skin stopped freezing over and her heart calmed to a steady rhythm. She struggled to stand again, biting her lip until it bled to stop herself from screaming. At the pain in her legs, at the fear coursing through her veins, at the whole damn world.

When both her feet were planted firmly on the cement beneath her, she stood, completely still. Her silence hung in the air, reminding her of the quiet that the world now demanded. Her eyes watered, whisky orbs turning glassy and lips trembling in an attempt to stop the sobs. She slowly moved towards an old truck, one of the bigger ones with the thin backseat crammed between the bed and the front seats. The door creaked when she opened it and she winced on reflex alone, eyes darting about to find the looming threat that was always there, right behind her. But the silence remained, unaffected by the sharp noise.

The blue jay moved on autopilot, shoving anything soft or pliable into the shallow between the front and back seats. She stuffed her bag against the opposing door and waited until her partner had leapt in before she herself tiredly climbed in after. She shut the door behind her, locking all of the doors without a second thought and letting herself sink into her makeshift bed. Wolverine splayed out over her legs, resting his head on her lap and staring up at her with a concerned, green gaze.

"It's okay, Wolverine." She shifted in her spot, taking out a half a bag of stale crackers and the tupperware filled with pond water. The two survivors finished the bag slowly, munching on the dry crackers until the bag was empty. They shared the water in a similar fashion before finally laying back under the ratty blanket the blue jay had found in the front seat. The girl stared up at the roof of the car, tracing the felt-like fabric with her eyes until she could make out shapes that didn't really exist. _**You're making images out of nothing… Jeez, you really are crazy.**_ "I know," the blue jay mumbled a response to her own thoughts, undisturbed by the insanity of such an act. **_And now you're talking to yourself._ ** She only hummed a reply, letting her head fall against the rough surface of her bag.

Wolverine nuzzled closer to her, squeezing into whatever free space was available. His damp nose rubbed against her collarbone, snapping her from her own thoughts in a way that only he seemed capable of. "I'm sorry, Wolverine," she pet his head softly, "let's hope tomorrow is a better day, okay?" She got a rumble of a response, the dog's eyes already closed as exhaustion caught up with him. The blue jay's eyes scrunched closed almost painfully, as if it would erase the images that had already been burned into her retina. But it never would. She relaxed, letting the images pass until she felt the heaviness of unconsciousness tug at the back of her head. It loomed over her, suffocating her in an embrace that could never be considered calming, and she surrendered to it, falling asleep as the last light of day fell prey to night.

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 **Thank you all so much for reading and following this story! I'm so sorry for not updating when I promised, but it turns out my life is more hectic than I assumed it would be. To correct my mistake I will start posting every other week! I'm sorry for the wait but I want to put out quality work so hopefully you guys will like the chapters and the story because I put a lot of work into it! Thank you again for reading, have a wonderful day!**


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